Ignite
by CatchingWind
Summary: *AU* Dani Fenton's life has always been on the strange side. Being half-killed at age fourteen didn't help much with that. But now, as her sixteenth birthday approaches, her life begins to spin out of control as mystery begins to encircle her. Why did she survive the accident when her parents say she should've died? Why are the ghosts acting odd? And who is Dani Phantom really?


**Re-do of my AU. I've been sparked with this great idea, and it's been steadily developing over the past couple of months. It's gonna be weird at some points, but you'll stick with me, right? ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. I do own my version of it, though.**

_Ignite_

_My life is strange. Not I-only-have-one-parent strange or I'm-homeschooled-and-I-have-no-social-life strange._

_ My life is the I-should-be-dead-but-I'm-not strange._

_ But let's not get into that mess quite yet. That's later on. But things have always been weird for me. I could start at any point in my somewhat pathetic life, but the weirdness really began when I was born._

_ Get this: I was supposed to be a boy. And – surprise, surprise – I popped out a girl. Don't ask me why or how. I've always assumed that they misread the ultrasound. But that's why everybody calls me Dani, because my mom wanted to name me Danny. It's useful for confusing people, but sometimes I do get made fun of by idiots like Dash._

_ Some people say it's a common mistake, but especially after other events in my life, I'm not so sure anymore. I get the feeling for some reason that there's more to it than just a simple misread. I mean, how often does that kind of thing happen?_

Three figures scurried through an endless expanse of green towards a looming, jagged castle. One, bearing a royal blue cloak, resembled a yeti in appearance with thick white fur, but had one arm made entirely of ice and bone. Another, wearing a black cloak with the hood pulled up, was slim and seemingly human. The third and final figure, leading the trio, wore a cloak of purple and carried a staff with a clock on it.

"Is this truly necessary?" the black-clad figure said. Her voice was female and distinguishable, piercing the silence like a knife and echoing through the vast field of jade. The yeti was quick to shush her.

"You know it is," the one dressed in purple replied as he shifted into the form of an older creature. His voice was soft, male, and tinged with what seemed like such an ancient tone.

"But… the human world! No one of our kind has ever trespassed there!"

"It was to happen eventually," the yeti said. "After all, it is your duty to make sure our two worlds are united in peace."

"Yes, well, I'm sure Pariah's reign of terror is helping with that need," she mumbled.

They continued their journey in silence until they reached the frightening castle. Upon their entrance, the purple figure turned to the figure draped in black while simultaneously phasing into the form of an ethereal infant.

"Are you prepared for your mission?" he asked her gravely.

"Considering I won't remember it, no," she replied. "But I suppose what must be done has to be done." She stood a little straighter and removed her hood, revealing a young face and a curtain of shimmering white hair. "Do what you will, Clockwork."

"As you wish, Your Highness," he said, bending at the waist in a casual bow. She muttered something under her breath about how she didn't like to be called that as the yeti mimicked this Clockwork's actions.

_Another thing that's strange about my life: at night, my room would suddenly get seriously cold, even in the middle of July. I swear, it got down below freezing at some points. It would wake me up, but I wouldn't see anything. And when I complained to my parents about it, they checked the heat and everything, but it just proved that I must've been imagining things._

_It doesn't happen as often anymore, but I always get the feeling that at those times, someone – or some__**thing**__ – was watching me._

_And as of late, I wouldn't be too surprised if that was true._

The creature wearing purple seamlessly changed into the figure of a middle-aged man, reaching a lone, long finger out towards the girl's forehead. When his finger met her pale skin, she cringed, struggling not to move. Her eyes clenched shut in agony, and she seemed to be biting on her tongue to keep from crying out in pain.

"Is the process really that harmful to her?" the yeti asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Because she has thousands of years worth of memories, yes," the other male replied, clearly also having difficulty concentrating.

After what seemed like an eternity to all three present, the girl let out a long breath and slumped to the floor, unconscious. The other being, now back to the form of an old man, retreated and was left holding a ball of radiant gold light. The light was almost blinding because it was so bright.

Slowly, a small compartment opened up in the face of the clock on his staff. Carefully, he fit the extracted energy into the hole and closed it up. After tinkering with the hands on the clock's face for a second, there was an almost inaudible click. Relief washed over the worn face of this creature named Clockwork.

"Phase one is complete," the yeti whispered, walking forward and picking up the sleeping girl, cradling her in his enormous arms like she was a baby.

"Yes," Clockwork replied, his voice showing exhaustion from the process. "Take her to the woman I showed you. You know what to do then."

"Of course." The two made their way over to a circular window, showing a young, brunette woman, an equally young yet much larger man, and a white-clad nurse. All three were eagerly staring at a small screen in front of them, showing a fetus.

"What is it? Can you tell?" the woman asked quietly, too excited to speak louder.

"I'm not quite sure…" the nurse replied hesitantly, "but I'm ninety percent sure that you're going to be the proud mother of a baby boy."

The couple shrieked in ecstasy and threw their arms around each other. They were saying unintelligible things about their growing child, so happy that tears were falling out of their eyes.

"Do you think they'll be disappointed when they find a girl instead?" the yeti asked, preparing to enter the scene.

"I don't think, Frostbite," Clockwork said in his deep voice, staring intently at the unfolding event. He then focused his red eyes on the other. "I know."

Frostbite opened his mouth to ask what he knew, but decided against it. Instead, he regained his composure and stepped through the window, disappearing from the castle. When Clockwork was sure the monster had gone away, he turned to a different scene, showing a teenage girl with pitch-black hair and startling blue eyes.

"And if I know correctly," he said, adding under his breath, "which I always do…"

The girl in the picture was standing in front of a mechanical hole in the wall, looking up at it in curiosity and fear. Slowly, she took a step forward, black boot echoing through the metallic ring.

"Our queen will return to us soon."

_The weirdest thing in my life, however, was my accident, when I was fourteen. Going back to what I said before, this wasn't your average I-got-into-a-fenderbender-accident-and-lived-to-te ll-about-it accident or an I-fell-and-broke-my-arm-and-was-in-a-cast-for-mont hs one, either._

_This was the thing I mentioned earlier: the I-should-be-dead-but-I'm-not accident._

_And that, my dear friends, is when my life __**really**__ flipped upside down._

**Strange beginning, I know. It'll make sense soon enough, though.**

**I have no idea when I'll update this, so please don't fall on your knees begging for an update. Because I only have one more week of school left (gonna be a freshman! *sob*), I should have more time to update.**

**Anywho, leave a review to make the Pop-Tart nyan cat happy (long story)!**

**-CatchingWind**


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